It’s a new year: a time for resolutions and predictions. Rather than just repeat my own forecasts (which I sprinkle liberally throughout my comments on these posts), I’m going to let another bunch of experts make their own call. The American College of Cardiology (ACC) polled some of their leaders for their pick of the hottest topics in cardiology for 2015. And guess what was at the top of their list? Wearable Health Tech devices, of course.
These devices are growing in sophistication and abilities, as their manufacturers continue to seek ways to add value and differentiation from the competition. As a result, the ACC experts anticipate that more medical professionals will start incorporating data from wearables into their patient interaction. This data can help monitor patient activity when away from the doctor’s office, and is being seen as valuable information to help guide health coaching and treatment.
It’s encouraging to see professional organizations express a willingness to use these new technologies. There are certainly good reasons to have reservations about relying too heavily on their data for diagnosis and treatment decisions, but they have to be an improvement over the self-reported information that patients typically give their physicians during office visits.
